HG Salutes: Wonton Wrappers (Recipe Ideas)

Today, we'd like to give props to the edible blank slates of the food world. They're small, thin, flat, and perfect for everything from appetizers to dessert. Call them shape-shifters; call them chameleons; just don't call them boring. We salute you, WONTON WRAPPERS!

"Wontons are the Chinese answer to ravioli . . . The wrappers are made of flour, eggs, and water, and, once filled [they] can be easily folded and pinched into shape."

This description from the Cook's Thesaurus gives you the basic info about these loveable sheets of dough (which are refrigerated and found with the tofu), but it doesn't begin to cover why WE love 'em...

Why Do We Love Them?

Great for Both Sweet and Savory Dishes - We've been known to go beyond ordinary dumpling recipes and fill these babies with anything we can get our hands on. Their perfectly neutral taste means that they literally can go with anything, from peanut butter to pepperoni! (Warning: Do NOT try combining these in one dish.)

Super-Low in Calories - Less than 20 calories a pop on average! How cool is that? This means you're free to stuff 'em with delicious, decadent items... SCORE!

Awesomely Crunchy - We don't know WHY most restaurants insist on frying these things -- they crisp up nicely when baked in the oven! Step aside, oil...

Four Fantastic Tips & Tricks!

Super-Simple Recipe Starter - Just press a wonton wrapper into each cup of a muffin pan sprayed with nonstick spray. Then mist the wrappers with a bit more nonstick spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes, and you'll have low-calorie crunchy shells that you can fill with anything you like. (We like to spoon in some scoopable salads.)

Seal-Em-Up Advice - Listen up! If you want to seal some filling inside these babies, have a small dish of water by your (clean and dry) workspace. After spooning your filling into the center of a wonton, moisten all four edges of the wrapper by dabbing your fingers in water and going over the edges smoothly. Fold to enclose the filling. Then firmly press on the edges to seal. Tada!

Crunchy Salad Toppers! - Cut a couple of wonton wrappers into strips and lay them on a baking sheet sprayed with nonstick spray. Mist the top of the strips with nonstick spray. Bake for 5 minutes at 325 degrees, and you'll have crispy, baked-not-fried wonton strips to top off salads. They're also good dunked into sweet & sour sauce. Yay for crunch!

The Mini-Wrap-Up Roundup!

A BAZILLION ways to use wonton wrappers! OK, fine, maybe just 11...

Lasagna Cupcakes - These treats will blow your guests' minds twice at dinner parties -- once from the cuteness, and then again from the deliciousness!

Sassy Wonton Tacos - Make these for people you like -- they will be SERIOUSLY impressed. No one will guess how easy these adorable apps are to create...

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*The PointsPlus® values for these products and/or recipes were calculated by Hungry Girl and are not an endorsement or approval of the product, recipe or its manufacturer or developer by Weight Watchers International, Inc., the owner of the PointsPlus® registered trademark.